JZ contacted me about preparing for an upcominginterview and she is concerned about being aninternational professional who has pursued herdreams. She believes –”she does not have the freedom to choose passion if they are not traditionalcareer paths. …I have H4 visa (spouse- H1B) and needsponsorship to work. [Situations are such that Iwant] to add income by looking at a job related to mygraduate degree.”

.

We corresponded refreshing what we had discussed

in person and in class five years ago as she was making

decisions for her family. The times have changed in

the immigration world since then and that may influence

employment decisions. These can be overcome by

thoughtful preparation, considerate follow through

and win-win comments during the interview..

.

Preparation Considerations- - your Linkedin.com profile needs to show interestand express background and experience in the chemicalfield- Arrange an information interview to re-familiarizeyourself with OSHA, MSDs, and HazWaste and goodlaboratory practice with people in the field. - Develop ~1 min. stories and jot down memory aids

for each bullet in your resume- Study the company and area around the company.Look at its website, goggle people, look at Linkedinprofiles for connections.

- Even if the interview is remote or virtual, dress as

if you were visiting the site. Plan to be prepared a

reasonable time in advance.

- Write down critical questions you wish to ask, Like: What is a typical day like? What are typical analyses and instrumentation used?

What is the safety record of the company? Who will you be reporting to, who will you replaceand can you learn key information from them?

- Have pen, paper, your documents and a calendar and

computer handy.

- Salary expectation study for range

- Be prepared to offer names and addresses of references. Contact references in advance asking

Recently a colleague reported his experiences he observedduring his job search. It points out the importance of networking[2] , doing After Action Reviews, knowing that you can build your career by taking related positions, where you learn and practiceapplicable skills productively. After all, a career is a process of growth combined with continuous learning.

.

Networking:

applied online and got a personal contact of mine to forward my resume

to the hiring team…he felt comfortable to refer me. it was too late, they had already considered a candidate.

This year they contacted me. So as you have so many times emphasized, networking is key to getting one’s resume noticed.

Career is a Process:

A senior level manager:- Asked about my industry experience and was probing about my interests, strengths and ability to work in a team. We really clicked in the interview. It was a pleasant conversation about various aspects of manufacturing, QA, QC , work ethics, and honesty. he was very pleased that I was familiar with Quality Management System. I felt we were already colleagues in the interview. Among questions asked: - what I do not like, and what I like. - given a situation what do I prefer: perfect and late, good and on time, or quick and early…something like that. I elaborated on each as it all depends according to me. For example, I recall saying it depends on how critical it is. In a situation where you are looking at an API, it is critical to be within the acceptance criteria/specifications, better be late but safe. But for a report, as long as all the important information are there, I won’t delay it for perfection. I recall also talking about how in a team, different people have their own preferences - in terms of how to present a table. I personally don’t like to delay output for these

things (as long as it is not wrong).

.

Another Interviewer/non-technical manager:- were able to relate a little as I had previous experience in the finance department when i was in accounting. - ended up in a conversation about the market, competitive advantage, pains of month/year/quarter ends. - Talked about SAP and Oracle. - He actually appreciated that I knew about science and financial side of the business.

.

After Action Review:- if I run into a situation like that again, I should transition my mindset into a “sales pitch”- meaning, I should do the best I can to use facts from my experience to support each criteria they are looking for.

- asked to visit the lab and areas of interests. I found it odd they did not propose.

IDPs– We find these shortcut tools in many organizations. We haveshied away from bringing this up after a conversation with Judy Gruttera true guru in the field of career management and personal counseling.

IDPs are commonly planning documents or templates completed overthe next period, commonly, a year. They are reviewed, revised and discussed with supervision with the aim of guiding performance to achieve objectives leading to outcomes.

There is a common misapplication of this format to apply to managingcareers and long term goal achievement. No disagreement that objective setting to achieve goals is reasonable and important for ourselves, teams and organizations.

AWARENESS OF STRENGTHS VALUABLEThere is no argument that a person is greatly aided in her or his career quest by doing a 360-degree, self assessment of emotional intelligence, hard skills and interests, values and strong talents, personal behavior tendencies, cultural biases, experiences and expectations.

Expecting IDPs to do all this is just the beginning of expecting to do too much.

There are other skills, soft and wise skills, that most IDPs seem to miss.Some IDPs try to fix weaknesses and others extend a person’s strengths. Nonetheless, the author needs to own the document and not be just whatthe boss wishes.

What are some downsides of exclusively expecting IDPs to be a careermanagement guide? 1. needs to establish desired outcomes in an ever changing marketplace2. needs to have clear objectives getting a job, any job is not enough3. requires specific priorities and have strategies and keystone habitsto focus, limit distractions and understand perfect is the enemy of good.4. can put undue pressure on individual if someone else creates the plan5. understand human’s Fear of failure and be resilient (wise skill) 6. adapt to changing conditions and needs

A colleague visited me asking for my thoughts on helpingher overcome a time management situation she faces.Each day she comes into her laboratory in late morningafter sleeping late and having a little breakfast. Her daythen involves responding to events, problems and questions fromothers. She finds herself staying late to complete workshe had started or was involved with in other people’sprojects. Little of the work she wants to do moves forward.

What can she do?

It seems her direction lacked focus, not having determinedand communicated personal goals and objectives. Oncethese are done a gap analysis and timeline can be created.

She indicated she wanted to graduate in December, 2016and we spoke about a fast track route by outlining and doingliterature research for a review article that she could writeabout her methods and instrumentation.

Then, we spoke about setting daily and weekly agendas andcommunicating with customers, collaborators and co-workersa more disciplined approach. In addition, she needed to identifyan accountability partner, someone who is interested, honest, can remain confidential, and displays the behaviors of openness, fast-response and care.

Other steps, captured by H. Bruch and S. Ghoshal in “Bias foraction,” includes:1 Ask for feedback on plan and possible roadblocks 2 Overcome negativity and build up excitement 3 Visualize intention and make a personal commitment

Many seminars on negotiations will either emphasize the Harvard Process or provide examples not directly focused on theaudience’s near term perceived needs.

Talking about negotiating a roof repair after a chimney pointingprocess does not strike students who are graduating and lookingfor a job. They don’t pick up the relevance.

Yesterday’s seminar audience felt that negotiations beginwhen they are presented an offer of interest. Surprising.Work and research must be done well in advance of theposition offer to define priorities, leverage points,cultural influences and even words to indicate “no”.

The seminar also provided tools and how-to-expressthings in three practical-to-their-needs stories.

3. Negotiations can happen at different times than a job offer.Most people realize they will have 5-20 jobs in their careerand some they will need to change when their job is eliminated.Being able to express and use use Appreciation to influencethe tenor of negotiations can make a difference.

HOW TO EXPRESS “NO”- “I am flattered that you thought of me, but I am afraid Ido not have the bandwidth…”- “I would very much like to, but I am over-committed…”- “no, but”.. another time or situation.- “let me check my calendar and get back to you…”- focus on the trade-off: what are we sacrificing if we…- to seniors or leaders: “I would be glad to, but which of theother projects should I lower in priority…”- “you are welcome to….; I am willing to….”- “I am not able to do it, but so and so can…”

Internships can provide excellent interludes where we experiencewhat it is like in an organization (conversations, interactions, , assignments) can perform new and goal oriented work (goal-setting, application of know how and knowledge), can meet and work for a short term mentor, and see how things are done in another setting (culture).

My career had three “internships”– two in a medical schoolbiochemistry lab and one in am NSF Center of Excellenceprogram. That was then, now interns need to be more proactive,especially near the end of their internship experience.

In fact, I suggest doing AfterActionReviews of your internship program and keep it in your Master resumeportfolio. AARs are recognized as a knowledge transferand retention tool for capturing implicit and tacit pieces.[See Knowledge Management.. Administrative Services link]

For those early in their careers, it might be useful to start with- outlining all the tasks and assignments, completed and in-process- communicating in person - seeking feedback on areas of improvement- asking for longer term connection with people inyour thank you communication.

People in your junior and senior years [REU programs andsuch] and in your graduate career level are advised to display the maturity of performing AARs, drawing conclusions and offering reverse mentoring.

Have you looked at Fay Vincent’s editorial about the importanceof mentors in his career path?Fay Vincent was a commissioner of major league baseball, knownfor upholding justice and defending all of baseball’s stakeholders,not just the owners.

I was reminded of this recently as two job seekers contacted meabout (1) assessing their behavior in interviews (2) what to dobetter in the next interview (3) calling to mind a specific behaviorthat might enhance their candidacy.

MIRRORING IN CONVERSATIONSOne was interviewing with someone I know well. So, I know thestyles of both interviewer and interviewee. Both are quite capableand impressive individuals in their own rights. So, I suggested (3, above) that the interviewee really pay attention to the interviewer.It is a process often referred to as “mirroring” and is a nonlinearprogramming NLP instinct of relating to a conversation or interactionpartner by observing and listening closely, then responding in kindwith similar words, behaviors and mannerisms.

While I will not be able to do a trial run and observe the mirroring, as we are in a trusting mentoring connection, the action will appropriateand meaningful.

AFTER-ACTION-REVIEW FOLLOWING AN INTERVIEWAs a mentor, we can find ourselves in the situations where we are askedto assess interviews (1 and 2, above)after the fact and recommend improvements. It is an inexact science at best. We suggest performing AAR After Action Reviews to help with the process. While it might be done soon after the interview, a couple of days later can still be fruitful.

When we discuss this, because emotions and recall are directly involvedreviewing and discussing the AAR should be done in person to allowfollow-up questions and clarifications and trial-and- improve restatements.

So our initial attempt for meeting fell through, so we will aim to doa conversation via Skype.

A useful tool to use after you take an interview, afteryou give a seminar or presentation or after a plannedevent is an After Action Review AAR.

AAR is a retrospective analysis of a goal orientedaction that performs an evaluation and offers improvements.In this process “lessons learned” can be an output. AARsare common in military actions, emergency preparationand actions, knowledge management, exit interviews,and fire and police actions.Colin Powell brought to light AARs in a Face the nation interviewseveral years ago.

CASE 1. On site interview Shou and I reviewed his recent on-site interview where hedid not feel he performed particularly well So we captured whathe felt he did well and where he did not see how his preparationwas enough to satisfy the interviewers. [AAR step]

He met the night before two professionals for dinner and thenfirst thing in the morning with the HR manager. His technicalpresentation that followed went well and his audience provided positive feedback.He had a short conversation with a friend in the company thatconfirmed this impression. After lunch, that is where he had problems.

The interview then become a unique process of one interviewerlistening to him in a conference room where he was asked one questionfor one hour. He was asked how he goes about and has demonstratedinnovation. [AAR step 2 identify and break down areas to improve]

We discussed how he could 1) break down the initial question,2) how he should perform an audience analysis, and 3) know some common ground to frame the response and 4) create a dialog, rather than a monolog. 5) Use room facilities [white board,pens, paper, draw diagrams, flow charts, PERT charts, etc.].

The next interview was the same format asking the question:How do you make decisions. He faced a similar dilemma.

CASE 2. Bullying incident in a seminarIn a mock interviewing seminar, an audience member volunteeredto be interviewed face to face with a colleague. The plannedsession was completed quite competently and the audience wasasked for positive comments and areas for improvement. Ofthe half dozen comments one person articulated a perniciousattack on the person. While the interviewee saw, smiled andsaid thank you, the interviewer turned the comment aroundand devised an appropriate strong assertion pointing out howthe interviewee had nicely overcome problems and learnedfrom them.

Everyone in the session observed the disservice and it was clearthis became a “teachable moment” how to deal with adversecomments.

The interviewee and I privately discussed how I was veryimpressed with maintenance of composure under the circumstance. I indicated that the interviewer and thewhole seminar room noticed it and appreciated the veryprofessional way in which it was dealt.

All three co-presenters shared their concern about thebullying that we observed. After consultation we thoughtwe were all surprised, dismayed and thought if we haddirect interactions with the bully we should privately confronther and communicate this has no place in our scientific community.

Recent graduates and post-docs seem to be better prepared forindustrial positions now if they have either been in a co-opprogram or been involved in internships. We point to a broaderarticle on the practice of internships and highlight usefulideas (namely proceed with caution for unpaid positions andhave a very good idea why you want the experience and whatyou will do with the experience.).

While I still recommend value in creating a masterresume or CV to capture all of your experiences, credentials,projects, avocations, and areas of work interest, specificallytargeted with keywords ready for scanning documents arewhat a leading resume coach recommends.

One of the better recent articles describing retirementplanning is pointed out. It points out some considerationsthat might influence organization, planning and spendingpatterns.

INTERNSHIP ROUTE TO EMPLOYMENTSOURCE: The Economist, 9-6-14, p. 61“Generation i” (small i)From one point of view this article reviews the historyof interns and experiences of mostly “unpaid internships”which seem to be a last choice option. The “comments”section offers a rebuttal that the article misses paidinternships in technical positions lasting 2-6 months.Paid internships in the best of cases (25%) offersan in-person experience that is outside of the academicarena and is an investment in you.

UPDATED PERSPECTIVE ON RESUMESSOURCE: Career Hub, Jean Cummings“The Kind of resume that works now“ Jean really emphasizes the need to study the jobdescription carefully and pick out the job titlesand keywords unique to the position. Then incorporate them into your cover letter and your resume in context. ATS software is the rule suchthat once it is scanned and sorted reviewers spend5-6 seconds reading an easy to read, specific,and targeted resume.

RETIREMENT REALITIESSOURCE: R. Kapadia, Barrons, 9-22-14, p. 23“Don’t Panic“Point by point discussion first discussing mythstouching on- spending in retirement is fluid, not constant- within 10 years of retirement, half are single,especially lower educated- the impact of children/minors is substantial

Then, covering Important steps which include:- regularly updated budgeting, manage your cash flow and plan state and federal taxes- have fewer fixed expenses; pay things off- behavioral economics applies– in down years, spend less- very good advice on tax diversification

Added notes on Long term care- it will happen- industry is changing , select broadest definitionof care givers, begin reimbursements aftercalendar days (not service days)- pay attention to elimination period

For those positions or careers that do have postings of jobdescriptions, did you ever read through them and say toyourself: ‘No one has all the experience listed in this placementexcept a few people working for this firm.’

Often submissions in response to the job description postingare online and we do not know what happens after we press “send.”A significant fraction of the submissions are interrogated byATS Applicant Tracking System software, even before a person sees the document.

How do they write these documents and what do they expect?

As background for job descriptions, Allison Doyle does a creditable job in outlining the US Department of Labor breakdown of employment clusters and resources. Wikipediagives some hints and link,s as well.Lauren Weber described how a good job description conveysa clear picture of the position and employer’s culture in a recent WSJ article. She offered three constraints for jobdescription writers and new trends she is seeing.

CONSTRAINTS- knowing only what has been written before and what theysee themselves, hiring managers will lump all the “musts”and “wants” together. It leads to too many criteria. - burdened by too many day-to-day tasks, hiring managersavoid separating the leading skills a successful new hireshould possess. This often leads to description by committee. - legal and administrative reviews can format and structurea description like a legal document, often losing its readabilityand appeal. Weber writes it diminishes the attention eachposting might deserve.

GOALEncourage the right talent and experience level people to beattracted to apply for an opening using necessary and sufficientinformation.

NEW TRENDSTheMuse.com offers a crafting and posting service that providesa summary and a well crafted photo, story line and importanceof the role. [Lauren neatly adds how this is compensated.]

HireArt is a job search firm that services transactionalorganizations using several recent technologies. While notthe approach of technical firms yet, if very successful itmay be how future job descriptions will appear.

In a tight, very competitive job market, it does not helpif you start late. In addition, some recent graduates who start late seek an easy way to achieve their first position.[STRATEGIES ARE NUMBERED.]

CURRENT SITUATIONRecently I met with AG who was an assistant professorin residence at a university. You know an “assistant professorin residence” is an academic position usually for no longerthan two years. An assistant professor, to distinguish thedifference, can be for as long as five years without tenure.[UCLA academic personnel office does a particularly nicejob of defining the different “in residence positions”.]

He came seeking a “lifeline” in pursuing what to do nextin his career. [1]The first pass review initially asked for what positionhe sought. He had created a partial CV and was not havingsuccess in getting interviews in research institutes and universityapplications. He responded that he was willing to take anyposition. Well, the “ambiguous” CV will reveal a lack of focus and is one good reason why his CV will not be effective.He did not like the frank yet honest appraisal.He went off to seek another opinion.

REALITY SETS INTwo months later he contacted me again asking for morehelp. He was not getting positive responses from his documentapplications. He also asked the appropriateness of applying for positionsnot requiring PhD research experience.

So we explained, it is a tight market and [2]your resume needs to show a very close fit. Places will not hire a PhD to do a MS position’s work. PhDs will move at the first opportunity. The move will not help the department or the individual. Further, [3]CVs are geared more for academic positions and academic postdocs. They are stylized in a particular way.heading of CV Resumes are written to be more targeted for specific positions,they are shorter, they must reflect a match of your skills to theirneeds and it helps to use specific keywords and readable form.

The next version was sent asking for comments. It droppedmany technical terms and listed EXPERIENCE and his recentteaching immediately after the heading. That approach misses key attractions, except for certain teaching positions. There was no OBJECTIVE or keyword filled QUALIFICATIONS that will get some traction, I commented. [3]The listing of some techniques on the bottom of the first andsecond page resembles an MS resume. [4] That comment made an impression.

NEXT REVISIONThings were shaping up after we went through the reviewand brought in a [5]comparable resume of someone who recently interviewed at a hand full of places and starteda one year post doc after a successful series of interviews.

The very clear organization with keywords in context inan easy-to-read design made an impression. The reviewthen went after [6]what seemed to be missing from the resume…valuable contracted characterization work, clear skills working with challenging samples and conditionsthat required creativity and other important skills hedeveloped.

It is very hard work to create an attractive and compellingresume. When we are faced with other deadlines and pressures, it is possible to have priorities get shifted andlong term career issues put off to satisfy short term satisfiers. I urge you to start earlier and raise the priority level of career management goals as you get closer to their deadlines. Resume and cover letter writing is oneof the critical ones.

Was at a gathering yesterday and spoke to a fellow whowas reading Ariely’s book, Predictably Irrational. WhileI have not read it I have ordered his book on Cheating,after hearing a podcast where he described his thesis on human nature and implications.

Starting, then, with human nature, all humans cheat, heconcluded, yet most in little ways. Some who are discovered and punished have perhaps gone too far.He points out humans cheat first to themselves by littlelies or even wishes, and become insensitive to actionsand thoughts, with small steps first, one at a time, thenat the other extreme is the “what the h_ll effect” withlong term consequences.

However, in human dynamics, it is not just cheating and its verbal analog, lying, that factor in but others thatmay in fact take precedence over a miss-deed or -statement.An example is “peace with those at home.” Emotions and the feelings of others plays a significantrole.

Going along with this are two popular books outand reviewed recently– Kahneman’s Thinking Fast andSlow, and Partnoy’s Wait. Where Kahneman does anelegant portrait of human biases, decision-makingand happiness, Partnoy reflects on investigations of implications of doing things quickly (human nature)and the positive effects of holding off before our choiceof speech or actions. To my twisted logic these two arenice but benefit from the reality of Ariely’s Cheating.It is as if Kahneman and Partnoy present the scienceand Ariely offers the engineering and applicationin human thinking processes.

While many have read Kahneman’s book and theirreviews, the comments contain some salient momentsin Partnoy’s Wait and Ariely’s Cheating.

Illuminating notes from a couple of people I interviewedor reviewed or met in Philadelphia DIFFERENTIATEthem from every one else who I met.

Even further, those who develop a win-win commonproject do much better. This further differentiatesthem from the more than a hundred people I met atthe ACS national meeting.

This is part of the interviewing continuum that jobseekers should have foremost in their minds. Theinterview is not just the one time screening interviewcombined with an on-site interview. It is much moreas the linked article on the topic describes.

EXAMPLES:

Dear Dan,

It was wonderful seeing you at ACS and thank you for your support at
AEI. I talked to several hiring institutions, and they showed
interested and encouraged me to apply. I will keep you updated. Thanks
again for commenting on my materials and passing it to Louis
Kirschenbaum. It was my delight to meet him at AEI.

Best wishes,=============Dear Dan,

I hope you have had a great meeting at Philadelphia. It wasa great pleasure meeting you again. Thanks for all your advices, those are very helpful. I still remember our firstconversation when you recommended toastmaster to me.I could see I have improved a lot since then.

I will keep updating you on my progress. One day, I hope to volunteer like you and guide next generation chemists.

Thanks for you help.Best regards,

BE CAREFUL ABOUT WORDING!(Although it would be overlooked in this one situation.)===============Dear Kanjana,

It was a pleasure being introduced to you at the wine tasting reception at the Philadelphia ACSconvention.I hope you enjoyed the technical and networkingopportunities and look forward to being connected
in Linkedin and meeting again at future meetings.

Sincerely,

Daniel J. Eustace

Adjunct, University of ConnecticutChemistryRetired, ExxonMobil and Polaroid Corps.ACS Career Consultant and Workshop Presenter

RG interviewed at two principally undergraduate chemistryand chemistry-biology departments within the last two weeks.He felt good about his experiences and thought he couldinterview better.

We decided to talk through a interview review session toidentify learnings he had and he could share his insightsfrom the experience with our readership. [If you are interested, this note addresses in a personalized waythe Academic interview branch After the interview of theInterview continuum from the article:Before, During and After Interviews.]

The first institution he visited was in the eastern USand had eight current full time members. His positionwould replace one currently held by a person retiringsoon. The visit was planned to start off with a airportpick up by one of the younger faculty (host) in the firstafternoon, hotel check-in and dinner.

The second day involved hotel pick up by the host,meetings with provost, dean, and chair, a technicalpresentation, a classroom presentation on Grignardreactions (I re-learned the involvement of magnesiumas an organometallic reaction of an alkyl or arylmagnesium halide with a ketone or aldehyde forminga C-C bond.), panel meetings with other faculty,and dinner. It seemed like a slower changing, small-city environment a hundred miles from threeNFL football teams.

The take-aways were– don’t fly through Philadelphia[CHECK WITH PEOPLE WHO FLY TO KNOWWHERE NOT TO FLY THRU– MANY DELAYS.]and to practice the demonstration lecture more beforegiving it.

The second interview was at a PUI within driving distance which afforded a more relaxed schedulethan the first institution. He drove around the university living area and had more time to takethings in. [Close to a large urban center.] This was a smaller faculty of three (although the website lists 4.) and where he met with not only the chair, but also the President of the College, Provost, and a number of college students. This institution emphasized a unique educational philosophy which the president promoted and the desire to have someone who would make good use of a 400 MHz NMR.

These were significant tips to play off from inthe overall interview. He did.

The process for getting a job does not end withthe on-site interview. The interview continuumthat we have talked about is important. What happens and how a candidate approaches thenegotiations that follow are critical, too.

Over a series of phone calls recently, a member has learned about an open position (from her network), interviewed successfully (including a well received technical presentation), and recently a phone call offering a position andstarting salary.

What can happen next?A. In our conversation we reviewed several itemsincluding determining an appropriate salary[ACS Salary Comparator and other useful sites],doing homework on the company via your network,and determining what are the key things you wishfor your family (living arrangements, benefits,special situations, starting date among the leadingitems). [See a factor outline.]

B. Legal issues may also play a role. [Sklover offersa terrific perspective on a number of factors andis worth viewing, including letter of resignation.]Make it official. Ask for a formal offer letter and detailed information about the benefits package.We talked about defining when she could leaveher current firm.

C. After receiving the offer letter, the “ball is in her court” and a fairly rapid responseis in order. Knowing what your family needs in the new positionand location is critical– insurances, relocation, job help for spouse, trip for finding a residence, and even vacations or time off.

D. Identify key items that the new firm desires–starting date, application of key know-how andother critical items to be a successful enterprise.

E. Have a chance to practice the negotiating conversation. You want to make every interactionwith both your current position supervisor and prospective, offering companyenthusiastic andpositive. Know what positive things you wishto communicate about both.

DISCUSSION

The Negotiation Continuum is a matching framework for after you receive an offer to the interviewing continuum. It starts with factors and data for each position/company and comes down to how you prioritize the factors. Consider gatheringinformation for this process before you interview.

Have a priority order of topics in mind when you speak with the prospective company. We practiced a presentation order based on what was determined highest priority. We determined negotiation give-ups and what makes the most sense– know what is the key need that the company desires and meet and exceed it.

Recently, in setting up a program I was asked to reviewseveral resumes in advance of the program to givethe students a “leg up.” The students had to volunteer tohave their resume’s reviewed early.

The resume was sent as a .pdf file attachment and appearedas a general run of the mill internet form. So, there seemedto be many places where suggestions could improve theresume. After a quick assessment, I was concerned thatI would be perceived as an ‘ungrateful wretch’ simplytearing the resume to pieces. So I contacted the professorand asked for her recommendations (knowing in advancethat I wanted to speak to the student to find out howreceptive he was, what his intended position was and where the resume model came from.)

We spoke and I learned that he seemed to be most interested in autonomous career and looked to do a post-doc inpreparation for either an academic position or a rolein a government laboratory. He had gotten format advice from undergraduate career counseling at the school.

What a revelation? That changed the whole nature of my review since I would not be reviewing the resume thinking it was targeting an industrial job position.

The bottom line here is it is important when seeking adviceon one’s resume, cover letter, CV and other documentsto apprise the reviewer of what position you have prepared the documents for. There are helpful hintsthat will be different for documents. Several formatissues, like margin, font size, kind of paper or file typewill be similar.

Although the best practices for finding jobsshould be used anytime, they make a markwhen done well in tough economic times.

Here is a nice story. A recent grad, graduatingin the top half of her class, competed with all herclassmates for few positions all in the same location. (In this case, LA.) She did a series of best practices that has landed her several screening interviews and three on-site interviews.

PREPARATIONShe upgraded her wardrobe to help her presenta mature, professional appearance and performedsome mock interviews– telephone and on site.

She had her resume reviewed by several career consultants and the placement office at her school.She aimed not for perfection but for better ways of making her case. She already had an undergraduate degree and sought a position in a different field.

She had benchmarked her position for expected
salary and benefits with a national organization.

NEAR TERM STATUSShe has been screened in three, interviewed two facilities and received one offer already. One more interview to go.The offer from the first facility provides the benchmark for the other two to compare tofor decision and negotiating.

WHAT SETS HER APART1. She shared what she learned about resumes,career portfolio (or file), and interviewing withher classmates.

2. She networked with CONSEQUENTIALSTRANGERS to introduce herself and letthem know she was looking. She providedher latest version of her resume (it has changed since that version.) with a cover letterto an indirect contact who only indicated thatthe documents were passed on.

3. She set up a visit to what she viewed as a“reach” institution and spoke with humanresource personnel. The manager was very impressed that she had a professional file and a neat professional appearance. Withina week, she was called back for an interview.

There were no ads, no online sites to find outabout the position. The manager said the firstclass impression sold her. The manager alsosaid, ads bring in hundreds of resumes, job fairsbring in dozens of resumes. When you are looking for few positions, it is nice when a “purple squirrel” falls into your lap.

4. In the first institution interview, she was professionally outfitted and prepared.(On time,portfolio with extra resumes, folder with itemsto review and take notes, etc.) She was interviewed by an upbeat, enthusiastic duowho clearly knew the kind of person they wanted to hire. What separated this intervieweewas keeping answers short, telling storiesfor each of many behavioral based questions,and having on target questions to ask.(See examples of questions in the comments.)

The following day they surprised her by inviting her to the second phase of the interview. A third phase consisting of practical test quizzes showing solid fundamentals was to be filled out within a week.

She was called giving an exciting offer theday after the online test was completed.So, things happened in rapid sequence.

5. For each of the interactions, she gatheredthe names and contact information and sentappropriate “thank you notes.”

In following comments, you can see some ofthe behavioral based questions she was asked.

It is incumbent on each job seeker to narrowthe search and use all means to introduce yourself as a person who belongs on the staff.

After meeting more than a couple of dozenpeople in San Francisco to talk about theirresumes, it is instructive to point outsome strange findings, some missing keyelements and offer some hints.

- Only one or two had font size 11. Allthe rest were font 8-9, trying to squeeze asmuch on two pages (or more) as possible.

- Most do not seem to know that there isa “resume red zone” on page one of your resume. It is the middle third of page onethat every reviewer looks at and should containyour most compelling information why theywould want to interview you.

- Look what I read in the ‘resume redzone’ of some – “six years of teaching basketball, baseball and soccer camps” [recent Med. Chem. Ph.D.] “assist in development….. “reviewed manuscripts for peer reviewed journals… “Chemistry exam proctor and grader… “Listing technical skills [one third of firstpage; note Ph.D. should be beyond this tocreating something new or solving problemswith these tools. It is more appropriate forMA or BA resumes.] “EXPERIENCE Weis Pharmacy, Pharmacy technician…[instead of actual detail of chemical research]

- EXPERIENCE SECTION hiccups included”“Worked towards….“Used X, Y, Z [software] to study protein dynamics…“Worked on the classification…“Made concerted use of….“Studied the properties of …These are examples of “weak” verbs that are not true action verbs. Remember, we look for ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

Please list information in sections in reverse chronological order.

Please have a HIGHLIGHTS section beforeyour EDUCATION which points out yourmost significant skills that support your objective.

Please consider providing a link to your owntechnical web-page in the HEADING. Doesn’t everyone have one these days?

Negotiating is an integral part of a good decision-making process. The question is usually, at least for recent graduates, what and how should I posea negotiation process?

A member recently contacted me with a delightful problem. He had two hard-copy offers in hand, with $13000 difference in salary, difference in company size, differences in vacation, holidays, savings and investment plan and effort in bringing him on board.

We talked about the excitement he has with each position and he felt he would do well in both places. He would learn quite new skills (proposalwriting and negotiations) in one, he felt. His spouse will relocate and need to find an exciting position for herself in both situations.

The ACS salary comparator was of some value in this case. One (higher) position’s offer was $8K below the 50 percentile value ($91K; note location in high cost of living area); the second
was $2K higher than benchmark ($68K). [SUGGESTION: this is should always be done for every position for which you interview, before the interview.]

The rest of this entry offers what other consultants considered significant what items had some “wiggle room” in the discussions with both companies, and some words and phrases that were thoughtfully used..

He was provided input from my cabinet of counselors: - some felt there was little to negotiate at this time; evaluate the offers as is. [My recommendation: ask each ‘Is this your best offer?’ and determine which items to negotiate based on which had‘value for him and his family.’] - most felt his decision would be based on where he would get the most satisfaction and provide greater personal growth. - some felt questions could be posed–dual ladder for advancement (get a company handbook for details), what are the details on bonus plans, what happens after the first project is completed, what is the annual review process, which is a better place to live and with whom (people) was he most impressed?

Key words and phrases: - High level of respect for the opportunity to work there, - describe the offer as fair, but is it possible to re-evaluate based on a competing offer from a Fortune 500 company - when accepting and rejecting offers, accept the offer you want first, then reject the second best offer. (don’t go backwards) Confirm the details that have been negotiated. - when rejecting the offer, indicate that it was a fair offer and the decision was not based on how he was treated during the interview process. He was delighted to have met everyone on the interview team and wishes to thank them. - With bonuses, can the bonus be “summed up” (taxes paid on the bonus)
.

A member recently sent me his resume for review. He prepared for it by evaluating his personal priorities to determine what is most important in his life and career. It was a nice forced ranking process.

He then developed a first pass resume and listed some volunteer work as head or leader of YCC in his area. It was successful in being awarded an ACS ChemLuminary award.

In his first pass, he created two bullets in his Highlight section and wondered whether he should enter his role in YCC in his Experiencesection. My initial reaction is that the Experience section should be the place technical accomplishments revealing productive activities. Certainly, the YCC role in creating a workshop on entrepreneurism was a feat. I had my doubts about it fitting anywhere else than in the Honors and Awards and Affiliations sections of a typical resume. I might offer thathe led specific YCC programs as the last bulleted item in his Highlights.

He asked again. So I solicited the opinions of my career consultants “cabinet”. Listed below is what they offered in capsule form:

L. Balbes: “I agree that the leadershipcouldbe a single, last item in a Highlights
section. It might be appropriate to include in theExperience [section] IF he is
applying for a leadership position,otherwise either Professional

Activities, Affiliations, or some such section, would be a better

place.”

H. Silverman: “He may better by> two resumes depending on <the positions for which he applies>. He may one for technical positions.> He emphasize his management skill in a second one. {<> = insert text}

In the management resume he should emphasize his success with the

volunteer group . In both resumes he should list the groups award under a

separate section headed awards. He should be careful about redundancy.

Don’t list the same item in different sections.”

R. Bretz: “Placing a volunteer activityin the Highlights section might lead thereader to the notion that what he really wants to do is public service or some type of community work (i. e. workingis only a way to support his real passion).This activity is definitely not Experiencebut I admit that it could be a valuableskill in the workplace. Technical skills/knowledge is what will get him the interview. This role> should be in the affiliations/activities section.”

J. Shulman: “The Highlights section is a fine place to talk about leadership, especially for someone who has a mastersin management of technology. As Richsays, Highlights should emphasize technical accomplishment for a technicaljob, with 3-5 bullets dedicated to this. Butputting one (and probably only one) bulletsuch as ‘Demonstrated leadership and delegations skills’ can enhance this section.”

J. Jolson: “I agree that the passion andinterest in professional involvement could bea final bullet in the Highlight section. Specific information about leadership involvementcould be placed in the Affiliations section(ACS - XYZ Section, YCC chair). If theChemLuminary Award can’t be inserted withother awards in the awards section, it mightbe OK to insert it in parentheses aftermentioning the YCC chair in the Affiliationssection. Otherwise I would leave it out ofthe resume and if a job descriptions comesby the merits mentioning it, I would put it inthe cover letter.”